Has an indoor pool, a combination gymnasium and assembly hall with a stage, baseball/softball fields, a football/soccer field, a tennis court, an artificial-turf soccer field & an ADA-accessible playground

Named after Tadeusz Kościuszko who was a Polish freedom fighter that fought in the American Revolutionary War.

He was life long friend of Thomas Jefferson who called him "As pure a son of liberty, as I have ever known..."

Friday Family Nights July 7th to August 4th

Midnight Circus in the Parks comes to Koz Park September 30 and October 1 with shows at 2pm & 5pm

Why Koz Park?

Fifteen years ago, my wife, Heather, and I bought a house one block away from Kosciuszko Park. We discovered Logan Square while attending Redmoon Theater's All Hallow's Eve productions in late-90's and moved into the neighborhood in 2001 as part of a creative group of friends. We always meant to get involved with the park but were pulled in different directions with our children's schools and other projects.

The park had an amazing neighborhood advocate, Tom Cunningham, who basically served as a one-man advisory council. He pushed for the new playground that was installed ten years ago and the new roof on the field house. When Tom passed, I felt compelled to get involved to help continue his work.

Thirteen years after moving to the neighborhood, my wife and I made a New Year’s Resolution that resulted in the formation of the Kosciuszko Park Advisory Council.

Why do you volunteer?

It’s what I love, my passion. When I come home from work, instead of turning on the t.v., I dig into a project. For example, I helped found the Logan Square Arts Festival in 2009 and am now the executive director. The event takes place June 23-25. Come! We need volunteers. Sign up!

With the park, it’s literally our backyard. Volunteering in my neighborhood, focusing on the micro level, with people who are my neighbors has an immediate, large impact. It’s empowering. We as a community have that power to organize, come together and believe we can make a difference. For me, the Park Advisory Council is all about taking ownership of the park – planting a flag to say we care about this park.

This park is the largest park in Logan Square and some people don’t even know it exists. We want to change that. We want the community to have a sense of ownership. If they see garbage, pick it up. If they see a broken swing set, call the park supervisor to report it.

What do you do when you’re not volunteering?

I do fundraising for WBEZ and the national programs we produce like This American Life. I worked at the Chicago Reader for years also managed the Chicago edition of The Onion. My wife and I met at a political rally at the University of Illinois and have played in several bands together. My wife still plays in a band and during the day she is a chemist.

We have a boy and a girl, ages 13 and 10, who keep us busy. We love the outdoors and getting out to hike and camp whenever possible. And we love to volunteer as a family.

Amy Ewaldt, President of the Maplewood and Lucy Flower Park Advisory Council (MLFPAC), invited me and Maria Stone, Community Relations Manager for the Chicago Park District, to take a walking tour of her community.

Joyce Chapman was born in Japan to an African American dad and Japanese mother. Her father, a soldier with the Army, met her mother while stationed in Japan. Joyce’s early years were that of a typically ‘Army brat’ living in various places throughout the world. In June of 1968 when Joyce was twelve, her parents settled in the Pullman neighborhood of Chicago. Pullman was a bit of a shock to Joyce and her brother. They had never lived in a solely black community before.

Asiaha Butler (pronounce Ay-Sha) has a positive energy that’s infectious. She saw a problem in her community of Englewood and wanted to make a difference. She didn’t know where to start, at first, but that didn’t stop her. Until recently, she was working downtown at the Institute of Real Estate Management, an association for property managers, as the supervisor for Education Services. Anyone who meets Asiaha knows she’s a natural leader. Plus, from her years in the business, she understood real estate and development. Butler felt she had the capacity to make an impact, the question was how.

The park had an amazing neighborhood advocate, Tom Cunningham, who basically served as a one-man advisory council. He pushed for the new playground that was installed ten years ago and the new roof on the field house. When Tom passed, I felt compelled to get involved to help continue his work.

Midnight Circus in the Parks was founded on the belief that community involvement is the foundation on which to build long‐term success with positive effects lasting well beyond a two‐hour performance. To that end, all performances are affordable, accessible, and provide a platform for community groups to volunteer, fund raise and become active arts participants. Along with the wonderful Park Advisory Councils (PACs) at each park, Midnight Circus in the Parks seeks out extraordinary community organizations to collaborate with in the neighborhoods we play.

It all started at a Welles Park Advisory Council meeting about eleven years ago. Jeff and Julie Jenkins walked in with a video of Midnight Circus and an idea to help the park raise the money to redo our terribly run down play lot. The second I saw the video, I knew, if we built it, they would come. We had just organized our Easter Egg Extravaganza with pizza, an art project and Easter bunny raising $6,000. The community was ready.